How to Drop an Oil Pan on a Lincoln Town Car

The oil pan in your Lincoln Town car is an important part of the wet sump system used to cool your engine while driving. Periodically, you will have to drop the oil pan on a Lincoln Town car so you can perform the necessary maintenance to prevent sludge from building up and being drawn into the oil pumping system. The process is easy, dirty and will only take about 20 minutes of your time.

Things You'll Need

Oil drain pan

Socket set

Paint scraper

Park your car on a level surface. The Lincoln Town car has a high enough suspension so you will not have to raise the car to drop the oil pan, but you can do so if you like.

Place the oil drain pan under the oil drain pan plug (located toward the front of the oil pan). Remove the oil drain plug by using a 11mm socket. Let the oil drain completely from the engine.

Unscrew the oil filter by hand and pull it from the engine. This will ensure that the oil pooled in the filter does not inadvertently drain through the engine while the oil pan is dropped.

Using your socket set, loosen the bolts attaching the oil pan to the engine block. Be careful to work from side to side, back to front as you loosen the bolts. Loosen all the bolts, and then remove them, again working from side to side and back to front so the release of pressure on the oil pan lip is even.

Gently pry between the lip of the oil pan and the engine block with a paint scraper until the pan begins to separate from the engine. Use both hands to pull the pan completely from the block and drop it. Be careful, even though you have drained the engine oil, there will still be oil in the pan.

Remove the oil gasket by using the paint scraper to peel it away from the metal. make sure that none of the old gasket remains on either the pan or the block, or it will interfere with how well the oil pan seals when you re-install it.

Tips & Warnings

Before you begin, run your car engine for 10 minutes to warm up your oil so it drains easier.

While warm oil drains faster, an engine that is still hot will have hot oil that could burn you as it drains. Do not begin this process immediately after driving your car, let it cool down, but not become cold, to prevent injury.